Last chance
by BeforeItAllEnds
Summary: Isshin wants to shelter teens in need of a stabile home. Ichigo doesn't think of it as a good idea as he has to give up half of his bedroom to a complete stranger. Wanting to make his dad happy, he reluctantly agrees to support him in his choice. Something he shouldn't have. GxI. AU. Yaoi.
1. To get a new chance

**AN:** New story inspired by the TV show: Worlds strictest parents. This is what my brain turned it all in to. I hope that you will enjoy!

 **~ Chapter 1 – To get a new chance ~**

"You said that you had agreed to do what?" Ichigo horrified exclaimed at the dinner table where he and his dad were sitting.

"I've agreed to help kids that need a kick in the right direction."

" _Delinquents_ are the right word dad."

"Ichigo it's for a good cause and our first additional family member arrives tomorrow."

"You got to be kidding me! This apartment barely has enough room for the both off us as it is!"

"Since I gave you the master bedroom and took the small one, you two will be rooming together. The rest of the apartment is big enough for the three of us."

" _No._ I'm _not_ sharing my space with some stranger you decided to pick up from the street."

"Unfortunately for you that I decide in this household and my decision is final. Questions?"

"Yeah, girl or a boy? If it's a girl I'm moving to Renji's."

"It's a boy in your age; he'll arrive in the afternoon."

" _Great._ " Ichigo said sarcastically.

"You will need to refurnish your room today since you have school before that."

"Nonono, I will _not_ refurnish _anything_. This is your crazy ass project not mine! You do it."

"I need to go to work for a few hours tonight. I switched shifts with Urahara to have the afternoon off tomorrow. I need to leave now actually. The bed frame is in the IKEA packet, pillows and blankets have to do with our spare ones."

"Dad… IKEA- really!? We never get those things together and always end up with screws and plugs that were supposed to go somewhere."

"Don't worry, I asked if it was easy to mount, the staff said it would be."

"IKEA's lead thing is that their stuff is easy to mount. It will be a disaster no matter how you look at it."

"It is what it is. Come on don't be mad at me. It will be fun and you will get less lonely with some company around."

Ichigo sighed. If it was important to his dad then maybe he should play along. "Sorry dad. I'll try if it's important to you."

"Thank you, son."

Isshin went to Karakura Hospital for a night shift while Ichigo was left behind to fix his room. He figured that the best option would be to have the beds on each end of the room, put in the corners. Ichigo only had one desk, which he put in front of the window. He refused to give up his own wardrobe space and decided that a cloth rack on wheels would be enough for the delinquent.

The brown, squared package was torn open and the different parts were layed out on the floor. Ichigo looked at the very simple pictured descriptions of how this was supposed to be built together. It took an hour until he decided that he needed a break. He hadn't gotten anywhere. In the end the bed frame and the final touches of his room took all night.

~~xxx~~

"Wow you look like a zombie." Renji said as he saw Ichigo blinking tiredly.

The orangette yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Stayed up all night fixing my room. I barely got any sleep. "

"Why? It was great as it was."

"I know." Ichigo sighed. "Dad decided that we are going to help troublemakers and making this person stay in my room."

"That sucks."

"Yeah. At least it's a boy in my age."

"Do you know anything else?"

"Not more than he's coming today." Ichigo scrolled at his phone to see what classes they had today. "Great chem. with Granz-sensei and math with Ishida's dad."

"Nooo!" Renji groaned. "I'm still behind with last week's assignment Granz-sensei gave us."

"You are? Then I guess you haven't done this week's either, Abarai-kun." A voice behind the two teens said.

Both Ichigo and Renji froze as they heard their pink haired sensei. Ichigo glanced at Renji who had paled a little. He probably hadn't done the work as he was supposed to.

"No? Then I'll see you at detention after school Abarai."

"Yes, Granz-sensei." Renji pressed out.

"Seriously, don't even the previous detentions make you do your work? It must be much easier to just do it then to sit with Granz."

"I know! But when I sit down to actually try and make it, I always get distracted and forget about it."

"You're just lazy."

It earned Ichigo a wack in his head, which he returned with a friendly shove. With resistance they walked in to the chemistry labs to start the day's lectures. In the end they day went smoothly, for Ichigo at least, Renji still had his detention left when the bell rang on Ryūken's lesson. Ichigo was relieved that he could get out of the stuffy school building but dreaded to go home. He didn't want to have a stranger living in his home, as a charity case sleeping in _his room._ This must be his dad's midlife crisis; couldn't he buy a stupid car or something else like regular people? Oh, that's right; his dad isn't one of those 'regular' people.

Ichigo took himself home with heavy steps. His dad probably still slept as he came home early this morning. It wasn't unusual that he was forced to work overtime as the hospital frequently was understaffed. The place would be the death of him one day, Ichigo was certain of it. The last years had taken a huge chunk out of his dad's energy, he looked _worn_. He wasn't thirty anymore. Ichigo wanted his dad to stay with him forever even though it was impossible. His dad could be a pain in the as sometimes but Ichigo love him regardless.

When Ichigo stepped inside their apartment it was quiet and the door to his dad's room was closed. It meant that he still was sleeping or resting. Feeling a little hungry, Ichigo made some sandwiches to eat while he started on his homework. He sat in the kitchen, which was his favored studying place. Lost in his own world, he almost missed the sound of the door bell. He looked up from his book and stared at the hallway. _He's here._ Ichigo's stomach turned into knots immediately.

The door bell was pushed again before Ichigo made it too the door. He looked through the peep hole and saw a rather tall man with a cap on his head. The view was too small for him to see anything else but he wouldn't say that he was 'a boy in his own age'. He looked much older. Ichigo took a breath and opened the door.

Ichigo didn't know what to say since the whole situation to shelter someone was a little strange. All he could press out was a 'hi'. The man's bright blue eyes stared at him and he made no motion to go inside. They ended up in a staring competition. Ichigo had no idea what to do next.

"Ah, welcome!" His dad thankfully said behind him. "Come inside and make yourself at home." The man walked through the door and stayed close to it. "I see that you already have met my son. Ichigo, this is Grimmjow- Grimmjow this is my son Ichigo. I'm Isshin as you probably already have been informed. " Isshin introduced, to which Grimmjow nodded.

Ichigo saw how the hand on the sportsbag tightened the hold on it. "Are we gonna stay here all day or what?" Grimmjow said irritated.

"You can unpack if you like, Ichigo will show you where you will live and then we can have a chat in the kitchen with a snack before going to bed. Ichigo?"

"Uhm, yeah… this way."

Ichigo walked ahead and Grimmjow followed. The walk was short in the tiny apartment and they entered his bedroom. Upon seeing the two beds, Grimmjow snorted. "You can't be serious." He muttered.

"Your bed is the one over there." Ichigo said and pointed at it. "You can hang your clothes here and we'll share the rest of the space."

"Hell no, I don't want to share anything; you will need to sleep somewhere else."

"This is _my_ room so that's a 'no'. I'm not ecstatic over this either."

"Too bad then." Grimmjow said and threw himself onto the bed pulling the cap down to shield his face.

"You don't want to unpack?"

Ichigo didn't get a response so he tried again. "Goat f- I mean dad wanted us to come to the kitchen, you're probably tired so let's get it over with okay?"

"Will you always be this chatty or do you shut up eventually?" Grimmjow said underneath his cap.

"I… You should…I mean…Never mind."

Ichigo walked out to the kitchen where his dad already had set the table with sandwiches and hot cocoa. He sat down on one of the chairs with a sigh.

"Where's Grimmjow?"

"He wasn't interested."

"I'll go talk to him." Isshin rose from the table and went to Ichigo's bedroom.

There were muffled voices at first but then Grimmjow said with a raised voice: _"I don't fucking want to!"_

" _We just want to know you and talk about the rules of this household. It won't be long if you're tired."_ Isshin said firmly.

Seriously, Ichigo knew from the start that this was a bad idea. His dad never raised his voice.

" _What the fuck! Don't touch me!"_ Grimmjow exclaimed.

" _I'm not touching you. Come on, get up from the bed and go to the kitchen."_

Isshin came back to the kitchen empty handed. He sat down in his chair and took a bite out of a sandwich. Ichigo mimicked the motion and drank some coca too before it grew cold.

"Dad…"

"He only needs time Ichigo. Imagine if you came to a new family where you knew no one, wouldn't you too feel like an outsider?"

"Yeah, probably."

"The same rules that I have for you will stand for Grimmjow too. I won't make a difference between the two of you."

"Makes sense I suppose."

They finished their share of the snack and Isshin made Ichigo bring a plate with the left over sandwiches to Grimmjow in case he was hungry. The bedroom was quiet when Ichigo entered with plate in hand. He put it on the night table next to Grimmjow's bed.

"I brought some sandwiches if you're hungry." He said, hoping to get some kind of reaction.

He didn't. Grimmjow lay with his back turned to him and refused to acknowledge him. He hadn't unpacked either. Ichigo held in a sigh as he prepared his clothes for tomorrow and collected his nightwear in his arms to brush his teeth in the bathroom. Changing in here with a stranger would be just too awkward.

Ichigo wasn't eager to get back to the strange silence in his room; he did his night routine slowly, deliberately. A little fresher and clad in a t-shirt except from his boxers, he re-entered the bedroom again. Grimmjow still lay the same way and the food hadn't been touched. Ichigo set his alarm and lay down in his bed mimicking Grimmjow. He stared into the wall, unable to fall asleep when all he could think of was the other person in the room. What if it was dangerous to fall asleep? He had no idea about what Grimmjow had been doing before his dad had taken him in. There must be some reason for him to be in foster care and to be moving around in new homes at this age. Luckily, Ichigo wasn't forced to think about these things for too long until he fell asleep.

~xxx~

 _Beep, beep, beep._

Ichigo vaguely heard the alarm blaring in the morning to get him to wake up. He still was too tired to stir and decided to steal some more sleep.

 _Beep, beep, beep._

"Shut that fucking thing off!" Was growled from the other side of the room. That actually made Ichigo more conscious of his surroundings when he remembered that he wasn't alone. It still took him some time to turn the alarm off and Grimmjow hid his head under a pillow with a grunt. Ichigo rubbed his eyes tiredly when he sat up in the bed. _Another school day._ It was Friday though so the weekend was almost there. Unfortunately he would spend most of it studying since it was needed to keep up with everything. If he remembered correctly his dad was scheduled all weekend so it didn't really matter. It would also give him a reason to not have to spend time with Grimmjow.

His dad had already gone to work and on the fridge was a note to Grimmjow explaining expectations and that he was welcome to use and eat anything that he liked. It could be seen a little childish to write notes instead of actually speaking about it, but Grimmjow seemed to have some sort of accommodation period before he would be civil towards anyone. Ichigo hoped that it would be over soon.

After eating breakfast and running a little late, Ichigo jumped on his bike and went to school. He hadn't heard anything from Renji about the detention. Maybe it hadn't been as bad as Renji thought it would be hence no complaints. When Ichigo arrived at school Renji's motocross already was in the stand for motorcycle vehicles.

Ichigo barely had the time to sit down on the last seat in the classroom before their teacher walked through the door. Literature was the subject and their stone faced teacher hooked up his computer to the projector. It rumored around the school that no one had seen him laugh or smile since he started working there. While it all was being put on, a heavy stack of papers was placed on the desk. Ichigo could guess that it was a new assignment due in a very short amount of time, as usual when it came to Kuchiki-sensei.

The lesson started with a power point presentation about ancient Greek history that in the end brought up the literature written at that time period. As the presentation ended, it was noticeable that everyone feared the stack since it was obvious that it didn't belong as reading material for today's lesson. It was meant to be taken home.

"As I have given you this short introduction of a broad era, I expect you to read a book published in the year that I have written on the paper. Everyone will be divided into groups with different years and will not read the same books. You will later at the examination for this area, be put in a group with students that have read books from other years. What we will do on that day will be revealed the night before due date. Further details are explained in your paper. Any questions?" Kuchiki-sensei took the stack and passed it out to everyone as he didn't get any questions. As soon as everything was distributed the class ended and everyone fled the room. Renji caught up with Ichigo when they both had gotten outside the classroom.

"Why can't Kuchiki-sensei ease up alittle?! He's still stiff and all business. Literature was my favorite subject until he came." Ichigo complained. "Now we got even more work, the previous homework isn't even due yet but still we got a new one."

Renji walked silently beside him, knowing that Ichigo needed to get his frustrations off his chest. School and good grades was important to the orangette. To be worked up over the work load happened daily, Renji was used to it by now.

"Actually, Kuchiki-sensei isn't that bad if you get to know him." Renji said.

Ichigo had to turn his head and give Renji a surprised stare. "Where did this come from?"

"Granz-sensei couldn't have my detention yesterday and asked Kuchiki-sensei to 'guard' me as he called it. He helped me out and is seemingly good at chem. Granz would just have sat there and not helped me, now I actually learnt something."

"Wow. Sounds strange to my ears."

"Yeah I know. What even stranger is that as the minutes passed by I could feel that we had some sort of chemistry."

"Chem. was your detention, moron."

"I didn't mean it like that. Like… you know _chemistry._ "

"Don't tell me that you have a _crush_ on the only one in this school with a heart of ice?"

"I don't know! It just a feeling I got when I was there."

"Renji, he's a teacher."

"I don't care."

"The school and society cares. It's not allowed. Don't get yourself into something that you can't fix later. For your own sake."

"I'll try. Can't promise anything though."

Ichigo sighed. "Okay, don't tell me that I didn't warn you."

"I won't. How was your evening? Did everything go as planned?"

"Uhm, the guy hates us and barely talk; when he does it's to shout angry things. He just lay in bed ignoring me and dad. He surely doesn't look like he's in our age at all. Other than that I don't know much about him."

"Ouch, sounds harsh. Maybe he'll come around?"

"Right now it feels unlikely." Ichigo said with clenched teeth.

~~xxx~~

Ichigo could already tell when he opened the front door that something was wrong. The apartment was ominously quiet. He called out an 'I'm home', as he went further inside. He put his bag with all of his homework on a chair in the kitchen. It seemed normal this far. Feeling thirsty, he opened the fridge to get a bottle of water but stopped in his motion as he noticed that the note was missing. His foot nudged something and he looked down. His dad's note lay in shredded pieces on the floor. That clearly showed what Grimmjow thought about his dad's rules and expectations. Scoping them up from the floor Ichigo put the torn note in the trash and decided to change in to something comfier. Friday night was always free from home work and relaxation was prioritized instead.

The door to his room was closed and Ichigo wondered if Grimmjow still was lying on the additional bed. Even though it was his own room, he knocked on the door to be sure that he didn't interrupt something he would regret seeing and to not startle the bluenette. The rap on the door echoed in the silent apartment and Ichigo decided that it would be safe to go inside.

When he opened the door, a strong scent of used cigarettes and cologne hit his nose. _Their_ room was in havoc. Grimmjow had finally decided to unpack his things but not to hang his clothes on the rack; no, he chose to make a pile on the floor at the end of his bed. Ichigo urgently opened the window to get new air inside. He noticed something on his bed and picked it up. It was a soaked towel and the water had soaked through to his bedspread. At that moment he wanted to lay down on the floor and cry like an infant. How would this even work out? It seemed impossible right now.

"Wow, it smells like man in here." His dad said as he entered the chaos.

Ichigo gave his dad a bad look. "Well excuse me for not being manly enough." Then he sighed. "I can't do this dad. This is just too much."

"It's not that bad." Isshin tried.

"My whole room smells like cigarettes! How can't that be bad?"

"I'm sorry, son. I just wanted to do the right thing and I saw this as an opportunity for you to get some company when I'm away. I don't like that you are home alone as much as you are now. It wasn't what I had in mind for us."

"Honestly, I've been fine this entire time. You shouldn't worry about me that much."

"I'm your father, I'm supposed to worry."

"Dad…" Ichigo felt warm at his dad's love. He did something that he rarely did. Ichigo hugged his dad. "What will we do if this doesn't work out? I mean, what will happen to him?"

Isshin released his son. "If we can't get along, Grimmjow will be sent to a big apartment complex to live in a room that the community owns as he soon is of legal age. There is no use to send him around anymore; he won't have the time to get a solid family until he can do as he wishes."

"We are his last chance?"

"Yes, in a way. Please Ichigo, give him that chance. No one has given him an opportunity to improve; they all just passed him on." Isshin took the wet towel from Ichigo's hands and promised that he would tidy the room.

Ichigo new that his dad was tired, and helped out with making dinner for the both of them. To his joy, snacks had been bought on the way home and he knew that they still had soda left. It would be a great Friday after all.

Isshin did as promised and they ate together in front of the TV. Ichigo let his dad pick the show and they indulged in the snacks. Thirty minutes into the show his dad fell asleep and Ichigo changed the channel to something he actually wanted to watch. His dad usually fell asleep as soon as he sat down in a soft place after a long day at the hospital. Ichigo didn't mind, it was company nevertheless. A long day in school and tiring days before that, made Ichigo too fall asleep.

When the front door was shut closed Ichigo woke. It was still in the middle of the night and he groaned as he had gotten disturbed while he slept. _Grimmjow must be back._ He thought and almost fell back to sleep again, but when things started to fall in the hall way and the word 'Fuck' was muttered hazily, he understood that he needed to get up.

In the hall way stood Grimmjow with his hand against the wall to get support. His jeans were torn and muddy plus his white shirt wasn't white anymore. It had blood splattered all over it. Grimmjow had yet to notice Ichigo. The orangette cleared his throat to announce that he was there. Startled, Grimmjow did the only thing that seemed reasonable at the time in his confused state and pushed Ichigo against the wall. His forearm pressed against Ichigo's throat making him unable to breath. Ichigo tried to struggle back but Grimmjow didn't budge.

 _He's going to kill me._

* * *

 **TBC.**


	2. Jealousy

**~ Chapter 2 – Jealousy ~**

Grimmjow's pressure on Ichigo's throat wasn't easing up. Ichigo could almost feel how black threatened to take over his vision. Desperate, he landed a knee straight in Grimmjow's groin making him let go. Finally able to breathe, Ichigo greedily took in air which he choked on. Coughing, he saw how Grimmjow tried to take a step further inside, but his unsteady legs made him slide down to the floor instead while cursing at the pain. Ichigo's legs were shaking and the adrenaline pumped in his veins. He looked down at Grimmjow at his feet, wanting to step away but his body was frozen in place. After licking his dry lips he shouted: "Dad!" He waited and tried again, this time a little more desperate. " _Dad_!" It didn't take long before a newly awoken Isshin appeared.

"Ichigo, what happened?" He calmly asked as he analyzed the situation.

"He…he attacked me!" Now with his dad there, tears threatened to fall but he managed to keep them away.

Isshin looked at Grimmjow and quickly went down on his knees to be in the same level as the teen. He took in the bloodied shirt and how ruffed up he looked in general. Going into doctor-mode he made a small flashlight appear and lit Grimmjow's eyes. "He's high and going by the smell, drunk as well." Isshin rose to make sure that his son was okay. "Are you okay, Ichigo?"

Ichigo shook his head. "My throat hurts." _I'm scared_. Isshin examined it, but judged that it wasn't harmed in any way. It could be sore though. Ichigo watched as his dad helped Grimmjow up from the floor. "I'm going to patch him up and send him to bed. I'll be with you as soon as possible, okay?" Isshin said.

When Ichigo's dad had escorted Grimmjow to the bathroom, Ichigo sunk down to the floor where he gripped his head as he trembled. That had been a close call, too close. He couldn't have imagined that the teen would attack him from such a simple gesture as a clearing of a throat. Grimmjow had barely been here for two days and this was already happening. Ichigo took a deep breath while he thought about the situation. His dad was determined to help Grimmjow and as a person he wasn't someone to give up easily. Coming home high and drunk wasn't enough to get kicked out. It probably has been in other homes that Grimmjow had been passed on to, but not in this one. Ichigo himself hasn't pushed any boundaries with his dad to know what his limit actually is. Maybe he doesn't have one at all since he seems to believe that anyone can change.

While Ichigo's brain had been bombarded with thoughts, Isshin came back and lay a hand on his son's shoulder. It made Ichigo lift his head from his hands to give his father an uncertain look.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked. He was curious if Grimmjow had calmed down enough for it to be safe to get some sleep.

"I sobered him up a little with a cold shower. He only had some scrapes and bruises; the blood on his shirt wasn't mainly his."

"That's good I suppose." Ichigo grimaced. "Is he in my room?"

"Yeah, he passed out. I'll talk to him tomorrow, today is no use. Considering the events, I'm going to take the weekend off to sort this out."

Now Grimmjow had to make sure that his dad used is vaccationdays too. Ichigo felt relieved over the fact as much as he hated it. "Dad… can I sleep on the couch?" Ichigo said quietly. He really didn't want to sleep a few feet from Grimmjow tonight.

"Sure thing, son. We both should get some sleep, it's late."

Isshin helped Ichigo to get comfortable in the couch and made sure to lock the master bedroom in case Grimmjow wanted to run away again. Ichigo knew though that his dad did it to make him feel safe and to be able to sleep. Although the few hours of sleep that he got was shallow and filled with nightmares.

~xxx~

Ichigo had been awake for a long time when he could hear his bedroom door handle being pulled on. His eyes left the news on the TV and he turned his head towards the sound. It didn't cease and Grimmjow was swearing on the other side. He started to bang on the door instead when he didn't get out and realized that he had been locked in.

"Let me the fuck out!" He called.

 _He can wait._ Ichigo thought and continued to watch the news. It was a little mean of him but honestly, the teen deserved it after nearly choking him.

"I need to use the bathroom, you fuckers!"

The news turned to the weather and Ichigo sighed. He had no other option if Grimmjow really needed to use the toilet. Ichigo rose from his comfortable warmth on the couch and snailed over to his bedroom door. He turned the key and a second later Grimmjow flung the door opened and pressed pass, making a beeline to the bathroom. He barely bothered to close the door properly before relieving himself loudly. Ichigo knew that he would be unable to keep Grimmjow in the room any longer and that he most likely would hit the street as soon as possible. He tiptoed inside his dad's bedroom and stopped by his bedside. Isshin was still fast asleep and Ichigo really didn't want to wake him up.

"Dad." He whispered as he shook his shoulder.

"Mmm?" The man mumbled in his sleep.

"Grimmjow is awake."

Isshin rubbed his eyes and looked at his digital alarm clock on the nightstand. Ichigo could clearly see that his dad had wanted to sleep some more judging from the tired face upon seeing the time.

"I'm coming."

His dad put on a t-shirt quickly, probably thinking the same as Ichigo had, that Grimmjow would be eager to leave as soon as possible. Luckily, both of them remerged when Grimmjow had finished with his visit at the toilet. He frowned as he saw that Ichigo had gotten his dad. When he understood why Isshin stood blocking the hallway, his already sour mood turned to angry.

"I only want to talk." Ichigo's dad said calmly.

"I don't." Grimmjow spat.

"It's either me or the foster care. I don't think they will be _ecstatic_ to hear that you have pushed your boundaries already."

Ichigo tried not to jerk at the flicker of _something_ that had flashed in Grimmjow's eyes. His father had hit low, but it was the truth. It made the bluenette hiss a; 'whatever', before storming off to the living room. Ichigo was a little surprised that everything had gone so smoothly. He left his dad to talk to Grimmjow while he took the opportunity to change his rumpled clothes that he'd slept in. The shower would have to wait, his dad probably wanted to talk to him too. When he exited their bedroom, he came to a stop outside the living room. Ichigo didn't know why, but he hid, pressed up against the wall. It hadn't been is initial thought to listen in on his dad and Grimmjow but somehow he couldn't help himself.

"Grimmjow, you know the conditions you have to be able to live here. I can oversee that you smoke, but alcohol and drugs isn't acceptable." Isshin sighed. "School is starting for you on Monday, I've arranged for you to be in Ichigo's class. That way you know someone. Can I trust that you go to school? Cutting classes or not showing up has consequences in this house."

It was silent, but Ichigo assumed that Grimmjow shrugged at his dad's question. That the teen would start in his class was new to Ichigo, it didn't make him happy at all. It only meant that he would have more things to concentrate on in school.

"I want to give you house arrest, but you probably will disobey me anyway since it seems to be in your nature. I'll oversee it this time if you tell me why you do this to yourself. I want to know how you think to make these decisions."

"I don't know why, I just do." Grimmjow answered defensively. Easily guessed, it wasn't the whole truth, but Isshin didn't press any further.

"You're a smart kid; don't ruin your chances to become something."

"What if I don't want to?"

"There must be something that you can see yourself do in the future? It can't possibly be sleeping outside, shooting drugs and drink your life away."

"The only thing I know is that I want to do something practical. I can't fucking concentrate when I read."

"Then aim to do that."

"What?"

"Do what you want with your life, it's you in the end that will live it, so try to make something good out of it that fits you."

Ichigo smiled, that was his dad alright.

"To get there, you need to have a basic education. No one will employ you if you don't. Finish school and you are one step closer."

Ichigo moved away from the wall and went to make breakfast. He, like Grimmjow, thought that he would be chewed out by his dad, this was something completely different. Grimmjow probably always had been shouted at after a night like he had yesterday, his dad was smart to try a new approach.

When breakfast was ready, both Isshin and Grimmjow entered the kitchen. Grimmjow sat down and stared at the wall behind Ichigo. He didn't look as angry as he had been earlier and ate food for the first time coming here.

"Grimmjow need a bike as he doesn't have one. We will go out on a small shopping trip to buy one today. Sounds good?"

"I have homework." Ichigo said, hoping that it would be a legitimate reason to stay behind at home.

"It's only for a few hours." Isshin prodded.

"I want to study."

"Okay, can't stop you from doing that." Isshin looked a little disappointed, but Ichigo felt relieved on the inside. He would have the apartment to himself and avoid spending more time than necessary with Grimmjow.

His dad and Grimmjow left and Ichigo sat down with his assignments. He finished the old one from Kuchiki-sensei and then moved to read through his notes from the week's lectures in all his subjects. Satisfied with the studying, Ichigo stretched before rising from his seat. He decided that he should start and read the book he'd been assigned by Kuchiki-sensei. It was past 500 pages and knowing the teacher's previous questions, he was sure that he would need to read it at least twice to understand everything.

That was how his dad found him an hour later. Ichigo was in his own little world as he read the book and didn't hear them come back. He turned page unknowing that his dad would do a little sneak attack on him. It scared the living shit out of him and he ripped the page he was turning in the process.

"What the fuck dad! Look what happened and it's not even mine." Ichigo complained.

"Calm down son, a little tape and it's good as new!"

"Stupid, idiot father." Ichigo mumbled. Grimmjow stood smirking at the event, at what part was hard to tell. "It's not funny Grimmjow, cut it out."

"The bookworm got his book all ruined. End of the world."

"Rather be a bookworm then a drug junkie." The remark left his mouth before he had the chance to think it through. He didn't mean it, but it was too late to take it back now. Grimmjow grew silent, previous fun exterior all gone.

"Ichigo, apologize." His father said.

"Sorry." He whispered before abruptly standing up and left the kitchen. He fled to the bathroom and locked the door. _Coward._ The apartment felt so small when he didn't have a space of his own anymore. A long shower was what he needed. Ichigo let the water cascade down his back as he stood thoughtless and stared at the tiles. He bent his head inside the stream to wet his hair and massage his scalp with shampoo. Deep inside he wanted to scream out his frustrations, to ease the tension he felt. Weekends always was a two day recharging thing for him to cope with school properly. It wasn't this week.

He finished showering and realized that he hadn't brought new clothes with him. Cursing his bad luck, he sneaked out from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He could hear how the TV played his dad's favorite show in the next room. The bedroom door was closed and Ichigo sighed as he understood that Grimmjow probably was inside. When he opened the door, ready for whatever Grimmjow would throw at him, he was surprised when the room was empty. It relieved him that he could put on clothes in peace and that Grimmjow hadn't destroyed the room after his dad had cleaned it. The air still bore a foreign smell caused by Grimmjow's hygiene products and smoke induced clothes. Scrunching his nose, Ichigo opened the window to let in some fresh air.

Ichigo decided that he should try to get some more reading done before turning in for the night. He went to the kitchen to retrieve his forgotten book at the table. A frozen premade dinner lay beside it and he got the hint to heat it in the microwave if he wanted some food. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and found himself starving. While his food was warmed, he taped his ripped page in the book. The microwave beeped and he took out the now hot food. With the book under his arm and his dinner ready to eat, he went to join his dad in the living room. Ichigo froze in the doorway when he saw Grimmjow sitting in an armchair, fiddling with his phone while he and _his_ dad watched the TV show. They had already finished their food too.

Ichigo sat down next to his dad in the couch, feeling extremely awkward. Grimmjow had given him a mean glare as well when he had entered the room. Isshin acknowledged him with a gentle ruffle of his hair. "Dad…" Ichigo whined jokingly as he tried to tame his damp hair. He ate his food, but it more or less grew to a heavy clump in his stomach. That his father and Grimmjow would grow this close in a few hours alone wasn't something he had been expecting. Maybe the talk had something to do with it too. Yes, he was jealous that Grimmjow had managed to get a foot inside of this family. To be honest, he hadn't expected it at all. Not in this short time period.

The dinner grew cold after a while and he couldn't stand to sit there any longer plus try to read was out of the question when he couldn't do something as basic as eat his dinner. Ichigo could feel how Grimmjow glared at him over the screen of his phone, or that was what his brain wanted him to believe. Without a word, he rose from the couch and left the room. After dumping his half eaten meal, he escaped into his bed room. He still needed to read more in his book so he made himself comfortable in bed. How much he turned and fluffed his pillow, he never seemed to lie down comfortably enough to be able to concentrate on his book. Ichigo decided that reading anymore today was out of the question. His phone vibrated on his nightstand. Checking it, it revealed that it was Renji who wondered how everything was going. Not in the mood to try to type down a message, since he was useless handling a touch screen while typing, he called instead not really thinking about the hour.

"You really need to learn how to use your phone properly." Renji said when he answered on the other side, sounding tired.

"Or they should make it easier to accurately hit all the letters without needing to rewrite everything a hundred times." Ichigo complained as a defense.

"So…how's everything?"

"Terrible. Last night he came home drunk and high. Tried to fucking choke me."

"Wha-, seriously?"

"Yeah, I kicked him in the nuts to make him let go. I was scared shitless. Dad talked to him this morning, you know with one of his inspiring speeches?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"Grimmjow didn't even get a punishment…Things calmed down and we actually had breakfast together. He and dad went out to buy him a bike and guess who's going to start in our class on Monday?"

"Another of your dad's brilliant ideas?"

"Yeah, it would seem so." Ichigo sighed. "Everything was going okay when they came back until I called him a 'drug junkie'."

"That couldn't have been the smartest move on your part."

"He hates me even more now. Can I come over tomorrow and escape this mess? I only want to read my book in peace and not have to watch my back all day. Dad probably wants us to do something as a _family_ too. I rather not."

"Sure, I'm free."

They hung up and Ichigo felt a little lighter when he knew that he wouldn't be forced to stay at home tomorrow. No Grimmjow, no trouble.

His bedroom door flung open and he flinched at the sudden movement. The cell phone dropped to the floor in the process. Ichigo looked at Grimmjow from his bed; he wore a sour expression and glared at him before making a beeline to his bed where he without hesitation pulled his shirt over his head to throw it on the floor. A few faint purple spots marred the muscled body. Ichigo looked away as the other undressed, occupying himself with retrieving his phone from the floor and put it on charge. Grimmjow lay with his back against him as he had the first night. Ichigo did the same, feeling too awkward to stare at Grimmjow's broad shoulders while trying to get some sleep. It was a little difficult though, Grimmjow still was on his phone, doing something and listening to music through horrible earphones that leaked sound. How the bluenette hadn't gone deaf until now was impressive. Ichigo could hear every word of each song perfectly.

The next morning Grimmjow wasn't talking at all, not even to his dad. Isshin was his goofy self as usual but none of the teens found it fun this morning. When Ichigo opened the fridge to take out some milk, Grimmjow bumped into him clearly on purpose.

"Hey, watch it!" Ichigo said annoyed.

"Give me a reason to." Grimmjow answered and bumped into Ichigo again on his way back.

That did Ichigo in, who showed Grimmjow hard. He lost his footing on the slippery tiles and crashed into the kitchen table chairs. Ichigo regretted his urge the instant he acted out on it. He hadn't meant for the other to get hurt. The bluenette grunted as he connected with the floor, two chairs landed on top off him.

"Ichigo!" His dad shouted before hurrying to help Grimmjow to get up from the floor and check for injuries. Grimmjow squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Isshin helped him. Though, one eye opened followed by a smirk when Isshin didn't see. _That little…_ Ichigo was fuming. The fall must have hurt, but not as much as Grimmjow pretended. His dad looked at an elbow Grimmjow was cradling against his chest. It had bruised in a shade that almost rivaled Grimmjow's hair. Isshin got an ice pack from the freezer and made Grimmjow hold it to his bruise.

"Ichigo, that was totally unnecessary. Violence isn't something we use in this house and you know that better than anyone."

"Are you seriously kidding me?" Ichigo shouted. "It's okay for him-," He pointed at Grimmjow. "-but not for _me_."

"What happened was in a different context and you know that."

"Did you listen in on us?" Grimmjow realized out loud, sounding betrayed. Isshin went quiet and stared at his son, waiting for an answer.

"I… might have." Ichigo said and the tip of his ears got red.

"Son, you didn't even hear the whole conversation. Of course I spoke to Grimmjow about his violence against you. As I have said from the beginning, the same rules apply to all of us. All I want is that you two get along. Everything will be much easier that way."

"It wasn't me that wanted to shelter a messed up teen. It was _you_. You forced me to share my room with a complete stranger, who assaults me on the first night! Why you haven't thrown him out yet is beyond me. To hell with last chances, he has already gone beyond that!"

"Ichigo, we have talked about this so many times before and you aren't one to decide about Grimmjow, that's for me and his social worker. End of discussion." Isshin said sternly.

Ichigo stared at his father in anger. His heart beat in his head and he couldn't think straight. Grimmjow shifted on his feet, still holding the icepack to his elbow. He was mad, Ichigo could feel it, and he knew that all his chances to ever become friends with him had vanished the moment he opened his mouth.

"Fuck this; I'm going to Renji's." He hissed angrily, before he left to pack an overnight bag in his room.

"You'll sleep in your own bed tonight." Isshin warned when he saw the bag as Ichigo exited his room.

"I think I'll pass, but thanks for the offer." He went to the front door and put on his shoes. One hand was already on the handle when his dad came to confront him further.

"Do as you're told. Grimmjow needs someone to show the way to school."

"Then I'll come before school starts. Did you hear that Grimmjow?! If you're late, I'll leave your blue ass behind." He shouted and then looked at his dad with an apologetic face. "Bye, goat face."

* * *

 **TBC**

 **AN:**

Hi, I'm sick and can't concentrate that well but thought that I'd get something out. (It's been ages). This chapter might get changed later if I read through it again and feel that something is amiss. I have proof read this a hundred times already so I hope that it was a fun read!

Off to finish next chapter of 'Dominance', check it out if you haven't already!

~BIAE


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